Zane Scotland will need to summon all his obstinate qualities if he aims to stop runaway Order of Merit leader Luke Joy and defend his title at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, starting on Monday at Tower Links Golf Club.
The Englishman signalled a return to form with a top-three finish at last week’s Abu Dhabi Open and will hope to keep the momentum going when he joins a strong field led by his countrymen Joy.
The return of Czech Republic’s Cyril Suk, who won the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open two weeks ago, will further ratchet up excitement to the $50,000 tournament, which is the sixth stop on this year’s MENA Golf Tour.
All eyes, however, will be on Joy, who has so far secured two victories and a second-place in his first three events.
“[I’m] absolutely buzzing and so happy to get my second win, it’s been a fantastic three weeks in the Middle East and my form has been terrific,” said Joy. “It will be nice to get some more under my belt.”
With the field looking for the right recipe to end his amazing run of success, the intensity of the competition promises to spice things up in a field that comprises 117 players, including 28 amateurs.
“I was struggling with back pain recently, but it has subsided now. I am feeling a lot more comfortable on the golf course and hitting some good shots out there. It seems my game is coming back,” said Scotland, who boasts a whopping six wins on the MENA Golf Tour.
"It feels fantastic coming back to a course where you have done well. It adds to the confidence, but it's a new week and you've got to make sure you keep doing everything you need to do to continue with that success," added the ‘golf in DUBAi’ ambassador.
With back-to-back victories on the bounce under his belt, Morocco’s Younes El Hassani is riding the wave of success in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award.
His compatriot Faycal Serghini is struggling to find form at the moment, having missed the cut twice in his last three tournaments. But Serghini, who finished runner-up to England’s White in the MENA Golf Tour’s opening event in Mohammedia earlier this year, sees it as a temporary blip on his radar screen.
“Ups and downs are very much a part of the game. It’s just a question of stringing together one good round and things will fall in place. I am confident it will happen soon,” he said.
